Malaga Council has awarded a €30,000 contract to manage the growing presence of wild boars and feral pigs in urban areas, saying that the risks to public safety, traffic, and property are on the rise. The one-year deal, extendable for another year, was granted to Grupo SCAES-FAC and builds on measures introduced since September 2024.
The initiative, led by the Environmental Sustainability Department, focuses on districts such as Este and Ciudad Jardin, where animals frequently venture from nearby forested areas. Authorities plan to reduce human-wildlife conflicts while coordinating closely with the Andalusian regional government (Junta de Andalucia) following confirmed cases of African swine fever in wild boars in Catalonia. Although the disease poses no direct threat to humans, it endangers other wildlife and livestock farms, which could lead to mass culling.
The contract follows a December 5 declaration of a temporary hunting emergency across Andalusia due to damage and health risks caused by these animals. It authorises intensified control measures, including potential population eradication through various capture methods.
Preventive actions include installing additional watering points and planting vegetation in the outskirts of the city to discourage animals from entering. Monitoring will continue with night patrols, thermal cameras to track herds, and controlled feeding stations coordinated with the city’s Environmental Health Surveillance Service.
Archers armed with poisoned darts, arrows
If deterrence proves insufficient, captures will be permitted using bows with arrows or anaesthetic darts, a method endorsed by the regional agriculture and sustainability authorities. Operations will focus on nighttimes to minimise disruption and danger to people, though daytime interventions may occur when safe to do so.
Malaga officials reiterated calls for residents not to feed the animals and to properly dispose of waste in bins, warning that improper rubbish disposal attracts the wildlife and draws them from their natural habitat.
The service will begin once the Junta renews the necessary authorisation for control measures in river and stream areas within Malaga’s municipal boundaries.
By combining prevention, monitoring, and targeted captures, the council hopes to establish an effective buffer zone to keep wild boars and feral pigs away from urban neighbourhoods.